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11/15/02

THE STRANGEST SHIP IN THE NAVY

Charles R. Simcoe

The United States Navy used many unusual ships during WWII, but none was as strange
as the Landing Ship Dock (LSD). Part of the amphibious fleet, this was the largest ship
used to carry tanks, equipment and men. The LSD’s did not run up to the beach as did
many smaller amphibious ships and boats. They carried a cargo of preloaded landing
craft tucked within the ship resting on what was called the “well deck”. The well deck
was 45 feet wide by nearly 400 feet long. The structure was open to the sky in the aft
section, and covered by the ship’s superstructure forward. As they approached the shore
the LSD would take on seawater in internal tanks, similar to submarines. By lowering a
gate at the stern, water could flow in and float the small boats. As the boats rose with the
incoming water, they pulled out under their own power. Each LSD carried 18 boats with
cargo, usually Marines or Army units and their tanks. They put the first armored
equipment ashore during an invasion. They were moderately fast, capable of 15 knots,
compared with freighters and other landing ships, so they often made numerous fast trips
between the invasion beach and the rear supply base to bring in additional men and
equipment immediately after an invasion.

The LSD’s would anchor off the beach and served as repair stations for damaged or
disabled boats and even small ships, such as minesweepers. That was the dock (for dry
dock) part of the ship design. The crippled or sinking craft could be floated into the ship.
By pumping out the ballast tanks the LSD would rise and the seawater in the well deck
ran out the stern. The stern gate would close, and the repair work could be done on the
craft now out of the water in the dry well deck.

An LSD carried a crew of approximately 300 men. As was generally the case of
amphibious ships, most of the men were naval reserve not regular navy. This included
the officers, and even many of the captains. Among its regular crew compliment, an LSD
carried extra welders and carpenters, along with supplies of steel and lumber to perform
structural repairs.

The biggest difference in life aboard an LSD, compared with other Navy ships, is the
separation of port and starboard. For crew members to walk from one side of the ship to
the other they had to go forward and up into the superstructure and back down the other
side. These ships had only about 12 feet of space on each side. In this small area were
engines, boilers, shafts, cranes, gun tubs, and numerous other pieces of equipment as well
as workshops and storage. Since the well deck occupied most of ship’s length, numerous
small compartments and companionways were located in these areas. The bulk of the
ship’s company lived in the deck superstructure. There were living quarters for the
officers and enlisted men, mess halls and galleys, and medical facilities.
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The original LSD’s were 458 feet long with a 72-foot beam. They drew 16 feet of water.
This increased to 26 feet when the ballast tanks were filled to take on or to discharge
boats. They were armed with a single five inch gun, twelve 40 mm guns, and sixteen 20
mm guns. A 35- ton crane was mounted on both the port and starboard sides at midship.
These cranes could lift landing craft aboard for storage or repair if necessary.

The British designed and ordered the first LSD’s under the Lend-Lease Program in
September 1941. Lend-lease was developed before the United States entered WWII to
help the British war effort without actually selling them war material. It was nearly a
year before the Newport News Shipyard Company laid down the first ship, and another
year before it was completed and commissioned. Four ships were built at Newport News
for the British Navy. When the U.S. entered the war, the U.S. Navy ordered eight LSD’s
from the Moore Dry Dock Company in Oakland, California. The first ship there was laid
down on June 22, 1942 and the other seven were all under construction within the next
nine months. It required, on average, a year to complete each ship. These ships were
Ashland, Belle Grove, Carter Hall, Epping Forest, Gunston Hall, Lindenwald, Oak Hill
and White Marsh. Final commissioning was from June 5, 1943 to January 29, 1944 for all
eight ships, which served in the Pacific Theater.

They were joined later by Casa Grande, Rushmore, and Shadwell, all built at Newport
News. Four additional LSD’s were built at Newport News and were commissioned
before the war ended but they did not reach the Pacific in time to participate in action.
Four LSD’s were built at the Boston Navy Yard. Two were commissioned in the final
weeks of the war, and two others were built and commissioned after the war. Three
additional ships were contracted for at the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation at Chickasaw,
Alabama. One of these was commissioned after the war in 1946. The other two were
cancelled during construction, but were finished and used in sea duty but never
commissioned as Navy ships. One lone ship was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. It
was commissioned in April 1945 and reached Okinawa three days before the war ended.
In all 27 LSD’s were contracted for during WWII. However, only 11 were completed in
time for major operations in the South Pacific with the US Navy

The first LSD’s to reach the South Pacific War Zone were Ashland, Belle Grove, and
Charter Hall. They arrived in the Fall of 1943, about a year after Guadalcanal and nearly
two years after Pearl Harbor. They arrived, however, in time to begin the long road that
would eventually lead to Japan. The Carter Hall worked with the army in New Guinea
for the invasion of Arawe, New Britain. The first action for Ashland and Belle Grove
was in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, including Tarawa. These early advances into
Japanese-fortified territory provided the experience for LSD operations during the
remainder of the war.

By the end of the year three more LSD’s–Epping Forest, Gundon Hall, and Lindenwald-
joined the Pacific Fleet for the invasion of the Marshall Islands. The Allied invasion
force captured the islands of Kwajalein and Eniwetok which served as bases for later
invasions in the Central Pacific. Again the LSD’s played an important role, sending in
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their small boats with tanks and crews in the early stages of the landing. Then they
remained stationed near the beaches for small boat repair. The Marshall’s success moved
the amphibious forces hundreds of miles northwest in the direction of the next major
target, the Marianas--Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.

The Invasion of the Marianas, with over 500 ships and 125,000 men, was the largest
Allied operation at the time. Two new ships, Oak Hill and White Marsh, joined the fleet.
The main beach at Saipan was assigned to Ashland, Belle Grove, Lindenwald, Oak Hill,
and White Marsh. The other three were on standby for Saipan, but were used later at
Guam. Most of the ships were on station for about a week after D-Day repairing the
landing craft, LCVPs and LCMs. The capture of the Marianas was strategic for the
Allies, putting U.S. B-29 bombers within range of the home islands of Japan.

The Palaus Islands were the next stop on the road to the Philippines. They were invaded
on the morning of September 15, 1944, just three months after Saipan. Only four LSD’s
were in this operation. It was a smaller attack force and several of the first ships in the
Pacific had put into Pearl Harbor for repairs.

Only five weeks later, October 20, 1944, a great armada of ships signaled the US return
to the Philippines. The Invasion at Leyte in the Philippine Islands was even larger than
the Marianas, with 430 ships load with 174,000 troops and their equipment. Among
these ships were ten LSD’s, the largest number to be assembled in WWII. Two new ones
built on the East Coast joined the eight original ships. They were Casa Grande and
Mount Rushmore. The LSD’s were used differently during this invasion. Leyte was not
a coral reef nor a small volcanic island, but a substantial landmass. The greatest
immediate need was for additional troops and equipment. The LSD’s were dispatched
from the area during the first or second day to New Guinea to bring in reinforcements.
The White Marsh experience was typical. She left on the day after the landing and
eventually made four more round trips of eight sailing days each between Hollandia, New
Guinea and Leyte in the next two months.

At the end of December most of the LSD’s, including the newest, Shadwell, were
assembled for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, the Philippine Islands (Carter Hall
had to return to the States for major repair, and Rushmore was on assignment off the
southern Philippine Coast). Again, after the initial invasion, they were dispatched to
Hollandia, New Guinea to bring in reinforcements. On one of these trips Shadwell was
hit by a Japanese aerial torpedo that tore a 60-foot hole on her starboard side.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities. But Shadwell was taken out of action after her first
invasion, and would not return for the remainder of the war. She was the only LSD to
suffer major battle damage. By the effort of her crew she made it to a rear base for
temporary repairs, and sailed back to the West Coast for major work.

Landing Ship Docks were part of every major invasion in the march north through the
Pacific towards Japan. The Ashland, Belle Grove and Gunston Hall were part of the task
force at Iwo Jima, a tiny dot of an island that saw some of the toughest fighting of the
War.
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The next major landing in the Pacific was at Okinawa, located several hundred miles
southwest of Japan. This was the last planned invasion before the Japanese homeland.
The invasion force was nearly as large as that on D-day in Normandy. Because of the
timing, as Okinawa was only six weeks after Iwo Jima, the number of LSD’s available
was down to six. The Gunston Hall was the only ship that made both Iwo Jima and
Okinawa landings.

There were a total of 738 ships carrying 172,000 combatants and another 115,000 service
troops with all of their equipment, and supplies. Seventeen big carriers, 6 battleships, 17
cruisers, and 64 destroyers accompanied this fleet. This represented more striking power
than the force accompanying the troops at Normandy. All the experience gained since
Guadalcanal in the fall of 1942 went into the planning of this massive amphibious
landing.

. In the Philippine Island invasions the LSD’s would leave the area as soon as they
unloaded. This kept them from being targets for the Japanese Naval Forces or kamikaze
attacks. At Okinawa, most of the ships, including all the LSD’s, stayed at the landing to
help provide anti-aircraft cover for the Allied fleet. Many of these ships remained at
Okinawa for two months or more. During this time hundreds of kamikazes flew in from
Japan and inflicted tremendous damage, especially on the destroyer type ships that were
set up on a picket line to intercept them. Over the course of the next three months,
nearly 1500 kamikaze attacks rained down on the ships at Okinawa. These suicide
attacks succeeded in sinking 34 vessels and damaged 368 others, many so serious that
they required major repairs (some were so severe that the ships were kept out of action
for the remainder of the war). The human toll was 4900 sailors killed and another 4800
wounded. This was the most difficult battle for the United States Navy in WWII. No
one knew at the time, but this was to be the last action of the war. The August 1945
bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought an end to the conflict.

By the end of the War most of the LSD’s were in need of major overhaul. The Carter
Hall had already spent time in dry dock, and the Shadwell returned to the U.S. after
taking a torpedo at Luzon. After Okinawa, most of the remaining ships were sent back to
the United States for repairs, to prepare for the coming invasion of the Japanese
homeland. The Epping Forest and Gunston Hall went to Portland, Oregon. The
Lindenwald, White Marsh, and Casa Grande returned to San Francisco. All arrived for
dry dock repairs between July 21 and early August 1945. Shortly after reaching the West
Coast, the Japanese surrendered. The major dry dock repairs were completed on several
ships, but most received temporary repairs and were sent to sea to support the occupation
forces.

With the war ending, ships were needed to bring the service men home. Over a period of
six to eight months this massive movement of personnel was accomplished and the Navy
started to decommission a large part of the fleet. Shortly after that, all eleven LSD’s that
saw action during the war were laid up as part of the reserves. Even the LSD’s that were
built, but saw no action, were decommissioned. It appeared that the strangest ship in the
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Navy had become obsolete, as did so many of the amphibious vessels designed and built
during the war.

But the start of Korean hostilities, beginning in June 1950, saw the recommissioning of
all 21 LSDs. They were again needed to carry preloaded landing craft to this new
conflict. Some of these ships were stationed in the Atlantic Fleet, and served in hot spots
in the Mediterranean and other areas of the world. Others were posted to the Pacific
again, and along with the amphibious landings, they picked up new duties such as mine-
sweeping and serving as landing pads for helicopters. The Gunston Hall, which was the
most decorated LSD in WWII with nine battle stars, earned another nine stars for her
service in Korea. She went on to serve in Vietnam and eventually had one of the longest
careers in the navy. Several other LSDs were outfitted for Arctic duty and carried
supplies and personnel to Thule, Greenland and to the DEW line stations that monitored
Russian aircraft or missile activity by radar.

A new LSD was designed and built starting in 1954. This ship had all of the features of
the wartime vessels, but was more streamlined, bigger, and faster. Also, it was equipped
with helicopter facilities. The hull was 510 feet (fifty feet longer than the original ships),
and the beam was 84 feet. Eight Thomaston Class ships were built from 1954 to 1957.
They were constructed by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation of Pascagoula,
Mississippi. Adding these new ships to the 21 older ones made a total of 29 active LSDs
during the late 1950s and 1960s.

The Navy designed a new version of the LSD in the early 1960s called the LPD
(Landing Ship Personnel Dock). This design combined some of the features of a troop
ship with the Landing Ship Dock. They were even bigger than the Thomaston Class
ships, but had much smaller well decks (only 168 feet long, compared to the 400-foot
well decks of the earlier LSD’s ). Three of these vessels, called the Raleigh Class, were
built in the early 1960s. The designed was enlarged further in the Austin Class, built
from 1965 to 1971. Eleven of the Austin Class LPDs were built.

The WWII vessels continued to serve the Navy through most of the Vietnam War. By
the late 1960s they had served a quarter century in the Navy, and were being
decommissioned again. The White Marsh was transferred to the Taiwan Navy, where
she served until the 1980s. The Gunston Hall was transferred to Argentina and the San
Marcos was sold to Spain.

A third generation of the original LSD, the Anchorage Class, was designed and built from
1969 to 1972. Only five were built. In 1985 an additional eight ships of the Whidbey
Class (#41 to 48) were built based on the Anchorage Class design. These Landing Dock
Ships were replacements for the Thomaston Class, which was now 30 years old. The
new ships were the first diesel powered LSD’s and the series was not completed until
1992. They included hulls named after the WWII ships such as Ashland, Gunston Hall,
Rushmore, Comstock, and Tortuga. Four additional ships of this design, called the
Harper’s Ferry Class (#48 to 52), were built from 1995 to 1998. These carried the old
names of Carter Hall and Oak Hill and the new Pearl Harbor. All ships built since 1985
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are 16,500 ton, 609 feet long and 84 feet at the beam. This is 7,000 tons heavier and 150
feet longer than the original ships built for the British and United States Navies.

Among the Post WWII ships were well-known names like Plymouth Rock, Alamo,
Hermitage, Monticello, and Mount Vernon.. The LPDs were named after cities, names
that were previously reserved for cruisers.

A new LPD version is now being built. It is 683 feet long, has a 104-foot beam, with a
170-foot well deck. It is a behemoth at 25,000 tons and will replace the previous LPDs
and the Anchorage Class LSD’s. It is called the San Antonio Class, and the first two
ships will be commissioned in 2003 and 2004. These ships, along with the LSD’s built in
the 1980’s and 1990’s, will take the Navy well into the 21st century.

Today the Navy has as many LSD’s in service as they did in WWII. This claim cannot
be made for many ships where the fleet is only a fraction of what it was at the end of
hostilities in 1945. About 3500 sailors served on the original 11 ships during WWII.
With the number of ships increasing after the war, and the number of years since,
approximately 150,000 sailors have served on an LSD or the modified LPD. And the
strangest ship in the Navy will have a longer run than that old “battlewagon” line. Built
from the early 1900’s until 1943, when the Wisconsin was built, the battlewagon lasted
just under half a century. The LSD’s have already exceeded that and they are still going
strong.

• The author served on the White Marsh as a Shipfitter/Welder from April 1944 to
November 1945.

LSD’s ACTIVE IN WORLD WAR II

LSD # LSD, NAME NAMED FOR

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1 Ashland Boyhood home of

Henry Clay,
Lexington, Ky
2 Belle Grove Birthplace of James
Madison, King
George Co., Va
3 Carter Hall Virginia home of a
Colonial Governor
4 Epping Forest Estate where George
Washington’s mother
was born, Lancaster
Co., Va
5 Gunston Hall George Mason’s
Estate, Fairfax Co,
Va
6 Lindenwald Estate of Martin
Van Buren,
Kinderhook, NY
7 Oak Hill Home of James
Monroe, Loundon
Co., Va
8 White Marsh Birthplace of Dr.
Walter Reed,
Gloucester Co, Va
*
13 Casa Grande Indian National
Monument
near Phoenix, Az
14 Rushmore Memorial in Black
Hills, near Rapid
City, SD
15 Shadwell Birthplace of
Thomas Jefferson,
Albermarle, Va

• Numbers 9,10,11, and 12 were transferred to England under lend-lease.

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Sources

The Pacific War 1941-1945, John Costello, Quill, New York, 1982.

History of U. S. Naval Operations in World War II, Samuel Eliot Morison, Little Brown,
Boston, Vols. 1-15, 1947-1962.

Eagle Against The Sun; The American War With Japan, Ronald Spector, Free Press, New
York, 1985.

Mother of the Minesweepers, Popular Mechanics Magazine, Feb. 1952.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

The Second World War, John Keegan, Viking, New York, 1989.